A review of reproductive performance of female Bos indicus (Zebu) cattle

Reviews the reproductive biology of cows with emphasis on Bos indicus (Zebu) cattle. Presents the reproductive anatomy and endocrinology of the cow. Examines changes that occur at puberty, during oestrous cycle and at pregnancy. Describes measures of reproductive performance, causes of infertility and how these can be diagnosed and their effects minimised. Also discusses the role of nutrition in cattle reproduction, lactational anoestrus and the effect of weaning and herd health programmes. Includes data from Africa, Asia, America and Australia

Seasonal changes in nematode faecal egg counts of sheep in Ethiopia

Describes the seasonal pattern of nematode faecal egg counts of sheep slaughtered at the Addis Ababa abattoir from July 1985 to June 1986. Presents data on strongyle and trichostrongyle faecal egg counts. Suggests possible strategic measures for th econtrol of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in central Ethiopia

Can Geographical Factors Determine the Choices of Farmers in the Ethiopian Highlands to Trade in Livestock Markets?

Proximity and affiliation to the local market appear to be two of the most relevant factors to explain farmer's choices to select a particular trading point. Physical barriers may limit the options , especially in developing countries. A network of villages linked by traders/farmer-traders sharing livestock markets was built with field data collected in 75 villages from 8 kebelles in the Wassona Werna wereda of the Ethiopian Highlands. Two exponential random graph models were fitted with various geographical and demographic attributes of the nodes (dyadic independent model) and three internal network structures (dyadic dependent model). Several diagnostic methods were applied to assess the goodness of fit of the models. The odds of an edge where the distance to the main market Debre Behran and the difference in altitude between two connected villages are both large increases significantly so that villages far away from the main market and at different altitude are more likely to be linked in the network than randomly. The odds of forming an edge between two villages in Abamote or Gudoberet kebelles are approximately 75% lower than an edge between villages in any other kebelles (p<0.05). The conditional log-odds of two villages forming a tie that is not included in a triangle, a 2-star or a 3-star is extremely low, increasing the odds significantly (p<0.05) each time a node is in a 2-star structure and decreasing it when a node is in a 3-star (p<0.05) or in a triangle formation (p<0.05)), conditional on the rest of the network. Two major constraining factors, namely distance and altitude, are not deterrent for the potential contact of susceptible small ruminant populations in the Highlands of Ethiopia

Fulani cattle productivity and management in the Kachia grazing reserve, Nigeria

Kachia Grazing Reserve (KGR) in northern Nigeria was home to some 10,000 Fulani pastoralists and their 40,000 cattle in June 2011. This study examines productivity and management of cattle belonging to livestock keepers within the reserve before and after a mass immigration event when 3,000 refugees moved into the reserve with their cattle to escape inter-community violence during May 2011. Data, on livestock management strategies (transhumance) and production parameters (herd size, composition, fertility, dynamics), were collected in March, June and October 2011.Cattle productivity in KGR is geared to supporting Fulani households while maintaining herd wealth. High offtake of young animals, especially the selling of heifers, was an unusual finding and may indicate that KGR pastoralists have been restricting their herd size voluntarily as well as limiting milk production to household requirements. This is probably due to the absence of a commercial milk market and a higher reliance on the sale of young stock to meet cash needs.Despite the widespread perception that grazing reserves are promoting sedentarisation of Fulani pastoralists and curbing transhumance, the inhabitants of the KGR were observed to practise wide-ranging transhumance both during wet and dry seasons driven by the limited availability of grazing. Some households selected a sub-sample of animals for transhumance rather than sending their whole herd, and some maintained cattle on alternative land-holdings outside the reserve. KGR households described modifying their usual transhumance practices in response to the mass immigration event and insecurity.Nevertheless, the herd demography results from this study are broadly similar to data obtained from other studies over the past 40 years, indicating that productivity and management practices have remained relatively unchanged

Possible impact of disease and reproductive wastage on the productivity of tropical small ruminants: An overview

Small ruminants contribute significantly to meat (and sometimes milk) production in Africa and hence in meeting the current shortfall created by the fast rising human population. Flock productivity may, however, be affected by a wide range of disease problems and reproductive wastage. The impact of disease may be through mortalities and abortions or through morbidity and such subclinical effects like weight loss or reduced gains, reduced carcass weight and quality and the cost of time and money involved in controlling or overcoming the effects of disease. Thus, a top priority in operating successful small ruminant enterprises must be adequate attention to health problems and the causes or reproductive wastage. Losses due to mortality often have severe and easily quantifiable economic impact but losses in production due to morbidity are commonly underestimated because they are difficult to estimate. This paper provides a background against which specific effects of the role of health problems and reproductive wastage on production can be discussed

Production function responses in post-partum Bos indicus (Zebu) cattle to nutrition supplementation

Many efforts to increase milk and meat production by importing temperate breeds into the tropics are constrained by the breeds' lack of adaptation to tropical diseases, biologic and present management stresses. Moreover, feeding regimes developed for temperate breeds also do not suit animals indigenous to the tropics because of their multipurpose nature and different nutrient utilization strategies. Data are presented indicating that given adequate feeding, Zebu cows calving in this condition produced limited milk for calf growth, directing nutrients more towards repletion of body reserves. Animals calved in good condition attempt to produce as much milk as their genetic potential would allow. It is therefore plausible that the ability of Zebu cattle for fat deposition (an adaptation strategy) might be important and related to their milk yield potential. The need to investigate the possibility of using molecular biology techniques for increased accuracy in identifying indigenous animals that are better adapted to production and survival under tropical conditions is emphasized